by The Computing Australia Group | What Should You
Look For in a Network
Network Operations Centres (NOCs) are the “always-on” backbone of modern IT operations. A NOC operates from a central location to monitor, manage, and support the technology endpoints that keep your business running-servers, workstations, network devices, cloud services, firewalls, and increasingly, identity platforms and SaaS applications.
In practical terms, a good NOC helps you prevent downtime, detect and respond to incidents faster, and keep systems secure and compliant-often before your team even knows there’s a problem. For many organisations, a NOC is also the first line of defence against cyber incidents, performance degradation, and infrastructure failures.
Large enterprises may run an in-house NOC, but most organisations choose a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or co-managed arrangement (your internal IT team plus an outsourced NOC) to access 24/7 coverage, specialist talent, and mature tooling without the overhead of building it all internally.
This guide explains the services a NOC typically provides, the questions you should ask before choosing a provider, and how to evaluate value beyond the headline price.
What Is a NOC (and What Does It Actually Do)?
A Network Operations Centre is a dedicated team and platform responsible for continuous operational oversight of IT systems. Traditionally, “network operations” focused on routers, switches, and connectivity. Today, NOC scope is much broader and can include:
- Endpoints: laptops/desktops, mobile devices, and IoT devices (where applicable)
- Servers and virtualisation: on-prem servers, VMware/Hyper-V environments
- Cloud infrastructure: Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud workloads
- Identity & access: directory services, MFA status, conditional access health signals
- Security controls: firewalls, EDR/antivirus, email security, DNS filtering
- Backups and disaster recovery: backup jobs, retention, restore testing
- Business-critical apps: line-of-business apps, databases, VoIP, collaboration platforms
Core Services Provided by a Network Operations Centre
Most NOCs can tailor services to your environment, but mature providers typically cover the following capabilities.
1) Endpoint and Infrastructure Monitoring (24/7)
Continuous monitoring is the foundation of NOC operations. This usually includes:
- Uptime checks for servers and critical services
- CPU, memory, disk capacity, and performance baselines
- Network connectivity and bandwidth utilisation
- Application and service monitoring (e.g., authentication services, database services)
- Alerting and automated triage (to reduce noise and prioritise real risk)
What “good” looks like: fewer false alarms, clear severity levels, and evidence that alerts are acted on—not just logged.
2) Patch Management and Update Orchestration
Patch management is essential for security, stability, and vendor support. A NOC should handle:
- Operating system patching (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Third-party application patching (browsers, PDF tools, runtimes)
- Maintenance windows and reboot management
- Deployment rings (test group → pilot → full rollout)
- Reporting on patch compliance and exceptions
What “good” looks like: documented patch cadence, clear risk-based prioritisation (critical vulnerabilities first), and minimal disruption to end users.
3) Security Operations Support (NOC/SOC Collaboration)
Many providers blur the line between NOC and SOC (Security Operations Centre). Even if they don’t run a full SOC, a modern NOC should support security operations by:
- Managing endpoint protection (EDR/antivirus) deployment and health
- Monitoring firewall status, VPN health, and key security controls
- Detecting suspicious behaviour signals (e.g., unusual login patterns, failed backups, blocked malware)
- Coordinating incident triage and escalation to security specialists
- Applying urgent mitigations (isolate device, block IP, disable account) where authorised
Important: Clarify whether your provider is offering true security monitoring (SOC) or operational monitoring (NOC). Both matter, but they are not the same.
4) Backup Monitoring and Backup Management
Backups are only valuable if they are reliable and restorable. A NOC should:
- Monitor backup job success/failure and storage capacity
- Enforce retention policies
- Alert on missed backups and investigate root causes
- Perform regular restore tests (or coordinate them)
- Support Disaster Recovery (DR) readiness planning
What “good” looks like: routine restore testing and reports that prove backups are usable—not just “backup completed.”
5) Event Management and Rapid Incident Response
- Recognising early warning signs (capacity spikes, hardware alerts, service instability)
- Preventing issues from escalating
- Incident response workflows (triage → mitigation → resolution → post-incident review)
- Perform regular restore tests (or coordinate them)
- Support Disaster Recovery (DR) readiness planning
6) Maintenance, Lifecycle Management, and Hardware Health
Networks are not just software. As equipment approaches end-of-life or end-of-support, risk increases. A NOC should help with:
- Hardware health monitoring (SMART disk alerts, RAID warnings, PSU/fan failures)
- Warranty and vendor support tracking
- Capacity planning (storage, compute, bandwidth)
- Upgrade planning and change management
- Support Disaster Recovery (DR) readiness planning
What “good” looks like: proactive lifecycle reporting and budget-friendly planning rather than last-minute emergency replacements.
7) Reporting, Visibility, and Continuous Improvement
Reporting isn’t about dumping charts into a PDF. It’s about enabling decisions. Useful reports include:
- Patch compliance and security control coverage
- Asset inventory and configuration drift
- Backup success rates and restore testing outcomes
- Incident trends and recurring root causes
- Performance baselines and capacity forecasting
- SLA metrics and service review summaries
What “good” looks like: reports that tell a story—what changed, what’s risky, what actions are recommended, and what was completed.
What to Look For in a NOC Provider
A NOC provider can look impressive on paper, but real value comes from their ability to prevent disruption, reduce risk, and support your business goals. Use the criteria below to evaluate providers thoroughly.
1) True 24/7 Coverage (Not “After-Hours Email”)
Many providers claim 24/7 monitoring, but you should confirm:
- Is the NOC staffed 24/7, or is it after-hours on-call only?
- Who responds first-an engineer or a call centre?
- What is the average response time by severity level?
- How are urgent alerts handled (phone/SMS escalation vs ticket queue)?
Minimum expectation: critical alerts should wake a real person who can act, not just log a ticket.
2) Clear SLAs and SLOs That Match Your Business Risk
Ask for SLAs that define:
- Response time and resolution targets
- Severity definitions (P1, P2, P3…)
- Coverage windows (24/7 vs business hours)
- Service credits or remediation commitments (where appropriate)
3) Event Prediction and Proactive Problem Management
Modern NOCs should move beyond “alert-and-fix” into proactive operations:
- Trend analysis (disk growth, memory pressure, recurring faults)
- Predictive alerting (thresholds that adapt to normal behaviour)
- Automated remediation for routine issues (service restarts, cleanup scripts, self-healing)
Ask: “Show examples where you predicted a failure and prevented downtime.”
4) Mature Tooling (RMM + Monitoring + ITSM) With Transparency
Even if the provider is “NOC-only,” they must coordinate well with security. Confirm:
- Endpoint protection coverage and health monitoring
- Firewall monitoring and rule-change governance
- Identity protections (MFA coverage, risky sign-ins, account lockouts)
- Incident escalation: who is called, when, and how fast?
- Evidence retention and forensic readiness (logs, timestamps, audit trails)
5) Security Integration and Incident Readiness
- Do you get access to dashboards or reports?
- How do they manage alert noise and prioritisation?
- Are scripts and automations documented and reviewed?
- Can they support your preferred tools, or do they force theirs?
Best practice: tooling should serve outcomes, not lock you into a black box.
6) Documented Escalation Paths and Specialist Access
Complex issues should be escalated quickly to the right people. Ask:
- What does the escalation ladder look like?
- Do they have dedicated escalation teams (network, systems, cloud, security)?
- How do they handle major incidents?
- Can you reach senior engineers when needed?
What you want: a structured path from NOC triage → specialist engineer → vendor escalation when required.
7) Change Management and Maintenance Window Discipline
Uncontrolled change is one of the biggest causes of outages. A good provider has:
- Documented change processes (including approvals and backout plans)
- Scheduled maintenance windows aligned to your business
- Standard operating procedures for high-risk actions
- Post-change validation steps
Ask: “How do you prevent well-meaning fixes from causing new incidents?”
8) Flexibility and Scalability (Fully Managed or Co-Managed)
Every organisation is different. Strong providers can adapt to:
- Co-managed IT (your team handles onsite/users; NOC handles monitoring/patching/alerts)
- Seasonal growth or rapid expansion
- Multi-site environments
- Hybrid infrastructure (on-prem + cloud)
- Mergers and acquisitions (rapid onboarding, standardisation plans)
Tip: Look for modular service design-so you pay for what you need and can scale as you grow.
9) Vendor Management and Third-Party Coordination
When things break, it’s rarely one system. A good NOC can coordinate with:
- Internet service providers (ISP)
- Cloud vendors
- Firewall/network vendors
- Line-of-business application vendors
- Hardware warranty providers
Ask: “Will you own the issue end-to-end, or will you hand it back once a vendor is involved?”
10) Training, Certifications, and Continuous Improvement Culture
IT changes fast. Your provider should demonstrate:
- Ongoing training and certifications
- Internal mentorship and quality reviews
- Post-incident learning and preventive actions
- Clear standards for documentation and runbooks
What “good” looks like: measurable improvements over time, not the same problems repeating.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Contract
1. How is 24/7 delivered-staffed NOC or on-call rotation?
2. What tools do you use, and can you support ours if needed?
3. How do you classify alert severity, and what triggers escalation?
4. What does your onboarding process look like (timeline, discovery, documentation)?
5. How do you handle patch testing and business-critical systems?
6. What proof do you provide that backups can be restored?
7. How do you handle major incidents and communications?
8. What reporting do we get monthly, and what decisions will it enable?
9. How do you reduce recurring issues (root cause analysis, problem management)?
10. What’s included vs extra-cost (after-hours changes, projects, onsite support)?
Common Pricing Models (and How to Compare Fairly)
NOC pricing often looks simple until you compare inclusions. Common approaches include:
- Per device / per endpoint (workstations, servers, network devices)
- Per user (bundled with helpdesk services)
- Tiered plans (monitoring-only vs monitoring + patching + backup management)
- Co-managed (reduced rate because internal IT shares responsibility)
When comparing providers, ask for a clear inclusions list and confirm whether these are included:
- Patch management (OS + third-party)
- Backup monitoring and restore testing
- After-hours response and remediation
- Onsite support (if required)
- Security monitoring or coordination
- Hardware lifecycle reporting and planning
- Monthly service review meetings
Rule of thumb: the cheapest plan is often “monitoring only,” which can still leave you doing the hard work in-house.
Signs of a Strong NOC Provider (and Red Flags to Avoid)
Strong signs
- They can explain their incident process clearly and confidently
- They show real examples of prevention, not just reaction
- They provide transparent reports and access to key metrics
- They offer structured onboarding and documentation practices
- They align operations to your business risk and priorities
Red flags
- “24/7” means “tickets created after hours”
- Excessive alert noise and unclear prioritisation
- Vague SLAs or no meaningful performance reporting
- Limited escalation or difficulty reaching capable engineers
- No restore testing strategy for backups
- Security treated as an afterthought
Example Outcomes You Should Expect From a High-Quality NOC
If you choose the right NOC partner, you should see outcomes like:
- Reduced downtime and fewer “surprise outages”
- Faster response to critical alerts-especially after hours
- Higher patch compliance and fewer critical vulnerabilities
- Consistent backup success and proven restore capability
- Better visibility into IT health, risks, and budget planning
- Continuous improvements through root cause analysis
Computing Australia has over two decades of experience providing Managed IT solutions to hundreds of companies across sectors and industries. To know how your business can benefit from the Computing Australia advantage, contact us or email us at sales@computingaustralia.group.
Jargon Buster
Patches – A set of changes to update, fix or improve a computer program.
Firewall – A network security system that monitors and controls internet traffic based on pre-set security conditions.
Incident – Unauthorised access of systems, data, software, hardware or network
FAQ
What is a Network Operations Centre (NOC)?
A NOC is a central team (and supporting tools) that monitors and manages IT infrastructure—servers, endpoints, networks, cloud services, and backups—so issues are detected early and resolved quickly, often before they impact users.
What’s the difference between a NOC and a SOC?
A NOC focuses on availability and performance (uptime, patching, backups, incident response for outages). A SOC focuses on security threats (detection, investigation, containment, and response to cyberattacks). Some providers offer both, but you should confirm what’s included.
Do I really need 24/7 NOC monitoring?
If your business relies on always-available systems (remote access, cloud apps, eCommerce, VoIP, critical servers) or you want fast response to after-hours incidents and cyber events, 24/7 monitoring is strongly recommended. For lower-risk environments, business-hours monitoring may be enough—if you accept slower after-hours response.
What should be included in a NOC provider’s SLA?
At minimum, an SLA should define severity levels, response targets, escalation rules, and coverage hours (true 24/7 vs on-call). Ideally, it also includes reporting on service performance and clear expectations for communication during major incidents.
How can I verify a NOC provider is proactive, not just reactive?
Ask for examples of prevented outages (e.g., disk capacity trend warnings, hardware degradation alerts, patch risk reduction), request a sample monthly report, and confirm they perform root cause analysis and problem management—not just ticket closure. A strong provider can show measurable improvements over time (lower downtime, faster resolution, fewer recurring incidents).
